You love them for their defects
by stoopidbat
Summary: The brothers haven't seen eachother for over a year. Some very strange events bring them back together, and for once, they're getting along. a bond is formed but there may not be much time for them to be together... InuSess. 1st fic. pwp-ish
1. Intro

This is my first real attempt at writing a fan fiction, so please bear with me. I'll try and do the best I can, and if this goes well, I'll write more.

It starts in third person but will go to first. I hope that'll be the only change in POV.

INU/SESS… eventually.

**This will NOT contain: m-preg, going into heat, rape, 'mating marks' or any other silly things like that.** I may try to keep the characters as in-character as possible, or I may give up and change them quite a bit.

Miroku and Sango just had their first child. Kouga had taken a mate. It seemed to Inuyasha that even the birds and bugs were happily twitterpainted and prancing gleefully along with their partners.

But Kagome had left two years prior. And Kikyo was no more. Inuyasha knew no one else with whom he could elope, or even flirt with. He was lonely. You know, that empty kind of lonely where you're surrounded by people who love you but you know that there's just something missing and no one can give you that something except… for that person that Inuyasha just didn't have. A mate. A partner. A lover.

He was terribly lonesome, yes. But would he ever let anyone know that? Of course he wouldn't. That would just be silly. When his friends asked him if he was ok, he would just put on an angry face and say things like "Why the hell wouldn't I be OK?" as he always did.

But this story won't be about just how incredibly, inconsolably, unfortunately lonely Inuyasha was. It will be about how he became much less lonely in a very unexpected way. . .

Ok so that was really short but it's just the intro.


	2. Ch 1 A strange meeting

Ok, it's gonna start to get weird here.

Chapter one

I'm walking away from the small village where many of my friends have decided to stay. Today was horrible. First, I almost get eaten by some demon on my way to Sango's. Then I have to sit there and watch them baby talk to their brat. I left mad as hell because… well because… I don't know. They're so in love. It's actually kind of scary to see how much Miroku's changed for her. Would I have done that for Kagome?

I think about her too much. I know she's gone. She can't come back. Not that I'd want to be with her like Miroku and Sango are together. I don't want any kids for a looooong time, that's for damn sure. I don't think it would have worked with Kagome anyway. She needs people like her, and her family. Besides, I always tried too hard to impress her. If she had really wanted to be with me, she would have said so right? Or did she?

No use thinking about what could have been, I guess.

I stopped suddenly. I smelled something familiar. My ears perked up and I put my nose in the air. Sesshomaru. I didn't feel like dealing with him. For once, I turned around and walked away from a fight, and before it even started. Something _must_ be wrong with me.

I woke up in the middle of the night and nearly fell out of the tree I was perched in. I looked around me in all directions. I felt like someone was watching me. Nobody there. I left the area and found another decent tree to sleep in. I've had a lot of restless nights like this. It's not rare for me to spend the whole night wondering around. Waiting until I'm too tired to stand. Sometimes I don't sleep for days. I just feel so cold. So… lonely. But love is for the weak, who needs it?

I finally got to sleep very late. Into the early morning. I woke around midday, only to lift my head, stretch, take a deep breath and smell… Sesshomaru. Figures. Today I was feeling ready. Not so gloomy. I hopped down from my tree and headed towards his scent, taking my time.

I wondered into the area where the scent was coming from. I couldn't see him but I knew he was close by. I noticed that I had come to a heavily wooded area. There were large trees with bright green leaves on them, and vines clinging to said trees covered in orange and red and pink flowers. But it was autumn. I became curious. Did Sesshomaru do this? How? Why? The logical side of my brain was telling me I should just leave it alone. The curious side was pulling me further into the colorful coppice.

I wanted- no, at this point I _needed_ to know what was going on. Was he dead? Did he have someone with him? Why was it so overwhelmingly warm here? I pressed on into the thicket. It became slightly less dense and I could see a large emerald-colored object up ahead. It was a giant sphere, surrounded by what looked like tree roots holding it up. It came into view. There was a woman inside of it. It was as if I was seeing a female version of my brother. I knew what this was, or at least what it looked like. I had seen it before, when Kikyo was cloned on that island with the crazy demons. Was Sesshomaru cloning people? That was a weird thought.

Someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned around quickly and came face-to –face with Sesshomaru. I jerked back, shaking his hand off of me. "What the fuck?" I yelled louder than I had meant to, but he had surprised me. He looked at me with his stoic expression and calmly said "You shouldn't be here."

"Well what the hell's going on? Did you do this?" I tried to stop my voice from shaking but it was becoming difficult.

"No. I had nothing to do with this." He said calmly and curtly. I thought for sure he would have chased me off my now, or started insulting me. Come to think of it, I hadn't even seen him in almost a year, much less fought with him.

"Then what are you doing here?" I asked.

Sesshomaru looked at me for almost a full minute. I don't know what he was thinking. He answered very suddenly, so abruptly that I was startled again. "I'm waiting for her to emerge. She is the last of us. She is a clone, and she will not know what to do when she is born."

I thought about asking more questions, but I stayed quiet. It made sense that he would have to be the one to show her what to do. He was the 'almighty ruler' after all. My eyes left him and looked back at the near-finished clone. I calmed down considerably. We stood there for a long time, not talking. Just looking at the woman in the large bubble. I was the first to speak again. "…Will she come out soon?"

"Yes. Today. Perhaps tomorrow."

All was quiet again after that. Somehow I had been pulled into waiting as well. I wanted to sit down, but the trees looked too perfect for someone like me to sit in one. So I stood. When it felt safe, I looked at Sesshomaru. I had never been this close to him without fighting or arguing. I thought briefly about apologizing to him and making amends. I decided not to. I studied his face. He did not look old, but there was something else that was close to it. He looked… experienced. Wise, almost. Seasoned. And above all, he looked like a man with power.

We stood silently for a long time. Just waiting. And I couldn't help but enjoy his company.


	3. Ch 2 Birth

Chapter 2

I sighed for what must have been the hundredth time since arriving at the small thicket. Waiting was one thing I wasn't good at. I wondered how Sesshomaru could just stand there so patiently. He had closed his eyes hours ago but I could tell he was still alert. He stood perfectly still. It was almost midnight and I had been there since early afternoon.

Every hour I would ask how much longer it would take for the replica to come out of its gel-filled cocoon. I was about to ask once again when Sesshomaru took a step forward. He approached the sphere and circled it. Hesitantly, I got closer as well. "What's wrong?" I asked, not seeing anything different.

"She is awake."

"How can you tell?" . . . It was very quiet.

All at once the woman in the globe opened her eyes and grabbed at her mouth and throat, air bubbles rising to the top of the gel. I jumped away from it, grabbing my chest to try and slow my heartbeat and breathing. The sight was frightening and sad and horrible.

Sesshomaru stayed calm. He stepped slightly to the side of the makeshift placenta and unsheathed Tokijin. Slowly, he slid the tip vertically along the outer layer of the orb. The demon replica was thrashing and gasping inside of it. He withdrew his sword and the cut he made began to ooze the green fluid. Without any further warning, it burst and the woman spilled out onto the ground in a puddle of the emerald amniotic fluid. The sound alone was enough to make one cringe.

She was lying on the grass and gasping. I considered what I had I just witnessed. Was it a miracle or an abomination? I stepped back further and I wanted to run. Sesshomaru must have sensed it, and told me to stay where I was. He stepped closer to the woman, avoiding the afterbirth. "Get up." He told her. His voice was strong, but not harsh. She didn't move. "Get up, child."

I watched her as she put her hands under her and lifted her torso off the ground, only to fall back down with a wet clap. She let out a noise like a horrible pleading whine. I couldn't tell if she was crying, but her body shook almost violently. The moonlight intensified the color and lucidity of the liquid.

Sesshomaru sat on his haunches and held his hand out to her. She raised a trembling arm and took his hand as best she could. He dragged her out of the mess and turned her on her back. Her long, white hair clung to her body and face. She breathed heavily and her eyes rolled around in their sockets. She looked around her at the trees, the green fluid, Sesshomaru, and finally, they traveled to me. Her pupils were unnaturally large, and her eyes wide. It was as if she couldn't focus on anything for more than a second.

Everything seemed to be going agonizingly slow.

Sesshomaru pulled her up to a sitting position and her head lolled to one side for a moment before she could hold it up straight. The whole scene was disturbing to watch, and considering all the things I've seen, that's saying something.

It took another uncomfortably slow and quiet hour just to get her to stand up by herself. Sesshomaru proved to be unexpectedly patient. When standing, she was a few inches shorter than Sesshomaru, who, as it turned out, was just a hair shorter than me.

He was covered in the thick, now cold, fluid, and when I noticed what a mess he was, I felt horrible for not having helped him. But I felt as if there was nothing I _could _have done. I was sure I would only get in the way. If I wanted Sesshomaru to like me, I thought the best thing to do would be to keep my distance for a while.

My brother lead the woman to a protruding root and took the stained demon's tail off of his shoulder and laid it down, instructing her to lay on it and rest. She did as she was directed and he folded the long tail over her body.

"Watch her. I'm going to bathe."

And then I was alone with the replica, in a strange place, without any idea when Sesshomaru would be back, or where he was going.


	4. Ch 3 Afterbirth

Chapter 3

In the days that followed the unpleasant birth of the replica, Sesshomaru taught her how to walk and awakened her ability to talk. He told me that since she was a copy of another demon, she knew how to talk, and only had to be reminded. We stayed near the thicket where she had been in her gel cocoon.

I stayed with them, though I didn't do much. I didn't know _what_ to do. I did help the replica to choose a name. She and I agreed on Chiyoko. (Means thousand generation child) When she was bathed and clothed properly, she was a beautiful young woman. She had only one mark on each cheek, and a crescent moon on her forehead, with lines that extended down her arms to her hands and down her legs to her feet. Where Sesshomaru's marks were light purple, hers were indigo. She was attractive in a strange way. She had thin lips and a straight, prominent nose and large, curious golden eyes. Her hair was nearly as long as Sesshomaru's, and just as white. I was jealous of them both.

My time with my brother was an odd mixture of being awkwardly tense and reassuringly comfortable. I didn't know how to speak to Sesshomaru, or even what to say to him. He was very quiet and stoic, but not in a threatening or intimidating way as he used to be to me. Though we didn't really speak, he seemed to accept me. It felt good have him as company. To actually feel like he was a real person, and to realize that he was my brother. I didn't get too close to him. I kept my distance and minded my business.

I finished braiding Chiyoko's hair for her. It was sunset and she was tired. She retrieved Sesshomaru's decorative demon's tail and retired early. I began to wander. And before I knew where my feet were taking me, I was within 15 paces of my brother. He was on a hill, looking into the distance. I felt that if I were to get closer I would disrupt something fragile and important.

He turned his head towards me, and then back to the scenery. I took a step closer. It felt safe to approach him. I sat next to him. It was quite. The light was nearly gone from the sky before either of us spoke. It was Sesshomaru who began, and he was brief and to the point.

"Do you intend to stay with the girl and me?"

"I . . . I don't know. Can I?"

"If I preferred that you leave, I would not have offered for you to stay."

I thought for a minute. "Why?" It was the obvious question. "Why do you want me to stay with you now? And why are you being so nice to me? I thought… that you hated me." I looked at him pleadingly. I wanted an answer. A lot of answers. I wasn't sure if I would get them. I'm glad that he didn't look at me then. I probably looked pathetic.

"Did you expect us to fight forever?"

"Kind of. Well not forever… just… well I didn't think that we'd keep fighting, but I sure as hell didn't expect this either."

"… The offer still stands, Inuyasha." It was the first time he had said my name in those few days.

"I'd like to stay. But eventually I want to know why you're being so…not you. .."

"Fair enough."

Ha! Dialogue!

Tell me what you think, please. I love reviews. Do you think they're in character? That's what I'm going for…

Sorry the chapter's short. I just didn't know how to continue it. I'll probably update often, with short chapters as opposed to long ones like, once a month.


	5. Ch 4 Travel

Chapter 4

I had noticed something different about Sesshomaru when I first saw him in the coppice. He wasn't his usual brand of stoic and cold. He was almost melancholy. There was something subtly depressing about him. After a while, I knew why.

He was without his traveling companions, but I had a feeling that it was the girl's absence that upset him most. I wanted to ask him about it but since it was the most likely reason for his change in attitude, I decided against it.

When we began to travel, I wasn't sure where exactly Sesshomaru was leading us. He walked slowly, and I wasn't sure if it was his normal pace, or if he was doing it so Chiyoko could keep up. She was still unsteady when walking, and mispronounced words often.

We took breaks after every couple hours. During these times, I would wander off on my own. I thought about leaving. Did I really want to stay with Sesshomaru? I wasn't sure if I could stand his uncaring, cold attitude. But on the other hand, maybe this could be good for me. Maybe we could bond. Maybe he would open up a little bit. Maybe there was more to him than met the eye.

It was that curiosity that made me decide to stay. I wanted to know more about this brother who was a stranger. I wanted to know him, and I wanted to know about our father, and other demons, and what made Sesshomaru hate humans. And what made him hate me. If he ever really did. And I wanted to know why he had had a change of heart. Or in his case, probably change of mind.

After a day and a half of walking, I asked him where we were going.

"To my home."

"Like, a castle?"

"No. There is one, but I do not stay there."

"Why not?" I felt like I was being annoying by asking him questions all the time. Even though it wasn't often, it seemed that was all I did. Bother him with questions.

"Because I do not like it there." He said, finally.

Figures. Not even a castle is good enough for _the great Sesshomaru_. I tried my hardest to glare at him, but it seemed that his left arm- or lack thereof- was glaring right back at me. I felt guilt come over me and my ears set back on my head. I hated that I always felt so guilty and I knew I would have to apologize for the way I acted toward him. But now wasn't the time.

I heard a soft, "Inuyasha?" and turned around. Chiyoko had stopped behind me and was staring at the sky.

"What is it?"

She looked back at me with those almost frighteningly large eyes. "Will you carry me for a while?"

I sighed, but couldn't help but comply. She had an irritatingly charming way of getting what she wanted and it was a damn good thing she hadn't figured it out yet. Either that or she was too kind to give orders. Sesshomaru waited for us while she climbed onto my back. I hooked my arms under her legs and she rested hers around my shoulders. She laid her head next to mine. I started walking again and so did my brother.

"Inuyasha, why do you look different from Sesshomaru and me?" she asked innocently while pinching my ear gently.

"Well… I _am_ different."

"Oh... How?"

"I'm not a real demon like you two."

"Well neither am I." she reasoned.

I smiled. She was like a child. A big, heavy, beautiful, curious child. "Well I'm even less demon than you."

"Don't be daft, Inuyasha."

I paused and looked up at my brother. Did I hear him right? Yes, I knew what he said. I heard him loud and clear. But what did he mean?

The three of us became quiet once again.

I felt content.

I'm really tired.

Tell me what you think.

I think I'm making some progress. Maybe

Srsly, plz review. I'll love you forever c:


	6. Ch 5 Travel part 2

Chapter 5

Meal time was one of two events in which Sesshomaru left- the other being to sleep. Only, when he did, he took Chiyoko with him. I didn't really know where they went or what they ate. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. I usually caught and cooked fish or rabbit or lizard. From what I understood, as full demons, they had different diets, though I didn't know exactly what that meant.

While I was alone one that afternoon, I thought about the people I was leaving behind. I would miss them, and I knew that. But it was for the best. I felt like Sesshomaru had come at just the right time. As if it was a sign that I should leave my former companions. It was fun in the days when we went on adventures, but they were humans. And I was not. Sango and Miroku had a child to care for, and I felt like I had no place there. It was time I lived my own life.

I wondered how long I would be with Sesshomaru. Did he want what I wanted?- to have a brother? Was he just lonely? If that was it, why wouldn't Chiyoko be enough? Maybe he wanted to get the remaining members of our clan together. There were so many things I wanted to know, and they were all about Sesshomaru.

"We're nearly there." He announced after another hour of walking. "I have to make a stop before we arrive."

Chiyoko and I shared a look. I shrugged and we continued to follow Sesshomaru.

A quarter hour had passed when we came up on a village. It was small but did not appear to be in poverty. The houses were decorated, but not very large. Sesshomaru walked through the small village confidently after telling us to wait. He knocked on the door of a small house. A half demon woman with long orange hair and the ears of a fox poked her head out and smiled. Sesshomaru nodded his head to her.

Could this woman be a friend? A _lover_? I thought about the possibility for a moment. It seemed strange to think that Sesshomaru would be intimate with _anyone_. And I especially could not picture him with this half demon.

She went back into the house and I heard a scream, but not one of terror. One of glee. Sesshomaru looked almost happy. He wasn't quite smiling, but with him, the subtle twitch of his eyes was enough to let someone know he was happy, if they looked for it very closely. A young girl with dark hair ran out of the house and attached herself to Sesshomaru. I was stunned. Who was this girl who was allowed to _touch_ Sesshomaru? He did not return her embrace, but allowed it. He nodded again to the half demon woman and, with the girl holding onto his sleeve, returned to us. He looked at me with his once again stoic expression.

"Inuyasha, you should remember Rin."

I looked at the girl. Of course! This was Rin. She was taller, up to Sesshomaru's shoulder almost. Her hair was longer, and all of it was pulled to the side in a braid. She smiled at me and gave a slight bow. "Yeah. I remember. Uh.. Hi."

She giggled at me. I wasn't good with introductions. Or children. "Rin knows who you are, Inuyasha. You're Lord Sesshomaru's brother."

My eyebrow twitched at that word, but I smiled at her anyway, albeit halfheartedly. I wasn't used to hearing the word brother when used to refer to Sesshomaru and me.

I could tell Chiyoko was excited to meet another girl. The first girl she had met. After they were introduced, she asked Sesshomaru if Rin was staying with us.

"Oh, may I Lord Sesshomaru? Please? Just for a day or two."

Sesshomaru seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding to her.

I was confused. Why only a couple days? Didn't she live with Sesshomaru? And was he always such a pushover when it came to Rin? And where was his dragon and imp? Didn't they live with him too?

Sesshomaru started walking again and instructed us to follow. Rin was holding Chiyoko's hand as they happily chattered away. I was at the back of the group as we headed toward what I guessed was Sesshomaru's home

This story might turn out shorter than I originally intended. And less graphic. I didn't think it over very well before I started writing and I've had a lot of other stories on my mind. . . anybody like Lackadaisy? ^^'


	7. Ch 6 Rin

Chapter 6

I was surprised to say the least. I was expecting something more… grand. Large. Not a… tree house.

Sesshomaru continued toward it with the girls trailing behind him while I stood confused. We were in a fairly secluded area about a mile away from the village Rin was staying in. In front of me stood a large tree with a house-like structure built onto its limbs. Planks spiraled from the ground, up the tree, to the house.

By this time Sesshomaru didn't seem his usual self at all. He walked slowly up the ramp to the building, raising his hand and pinching the bridge of his nose as he walked inside. I knew something was wrong with him but I wasn't sure what it was and I knew it wasn't my place to ask. Not at that time.

Rin led Chiyoko and I to a fire ring near the tree where we sat and she started up a fire. Rin was very friendly, and a good hostess. She asked Chiyoko a lot of questions about her birth and few days of life. If it were anyone else asking those questions it would have seemed rude, but because of Rin's innocent way of speaking and her child-like curiosity, she didn't seem intrusive at all. Chiyoko was happy to chatter about the short time she had spent with Sesshomaru and I but said she didn't remember anything much about her birth or anything before it.

I was happy to listen to the girls talk, while only joining in a few times myself. Rin told Chiyoko about Sesshomaru, but nothing that I didn't already know. Rin told her about herself; her favorite foods, and favorite places to go, and favorite flowers. And Rin told Chiyoko about things that she would see, and people she may meet.

I had still not been inside Sesshomaru's home. We stayed by the fire until sunset, when Sesshomaru stepped outside. We all became quiet, and he gestured for Chiyoko to follow him away from the house and fire. When they were out of sight Rin announced " We should eat too." She smiled at me and led me away in the opposite direction of the two demons to a nearby stream where she already had spears waiting for fishing. We picked them up and began to wait. I took the opportunity to ask her about Sesshomaru.

"Hey, Rin? Do you know why Sesshomaru would want me to stick around?" I picked at the bark on my spear as I spoke.

"Rin doesn't know." she looked downward and seemed to become concerned. "Lord Sesshomaru has been acting strange for a long time now. He said I had to learn to live with people more like me. So now Rin stays with Hana in the village. Sesshomaru says one day he won't be able to be with me, so I should learn to be without him… but Rin doesn't know why Sesshomaru wants her to do this now. Or why he is acting the way he is."

"Oh… well… I guess it makes sense that he wants you to live with half demons. You get along with them ok right?" I scratched at the back of my neck "And it seems like you have a good set-up there." When it came to me cheering people up, this was as good as it got.

"Yes. It's good. But Ri- I. . . miss Lord Sesshomaru."

I nodded and looked for movement in the water. Sesshomaru was definitely not himself. Rin was without a doubt his favorite person, and to tell her that she couldn't be with him had to mean that something was very wrong. "So, where are the toad and the dragon?"

"Master Jaken said that he would be leaving for a while. And that he might be gone for a long time. He took Ah-Un with him." I could tell I was just making her mood worse. The last thing I wanted was a depressed 14 year old girl for company.

I saw movement in the water and struck at it, spearing a fish large enough to make a meal for Rin. I offered it to her and she smiled back at me.

It's starting to come together. You may not see it yet, but it is.


	8. Chapter 7 Sorry

Chapter 7

I woke the next morning beside the long-dead fire ring. Rin and Chiyoko were nowhere in sight. I rubbed my eyes and looked around once more. The sun was already high and it was late morning. I could smell Sesshomaru nearby, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to see him. I knew I had to talk to him about what I was doing here. About why he looked so tired. About Chiyoko's creation. There was much I still didn't know.

I sighed and walked toward his sent. I could not yet see him when I heard coughing. Sesshomaru _coughs_? The sound only became worse. I stood still and listened, figuring Sesshomaru would not appreciate an audience in his moment of vulnerability. The coughs subsided until there was silence again. Hesitantly, I continued my approach. He was just a few yards in front of me when I realized I was nervous. This powerful demon lord, my brother, this man who has towered over me without being taller, and shaken me to my core without having touched me, just had a moment of weakness right in front of me, and I was sure he knew it. I wasn't sure if I should be flattered or frightened.

I gingerly sat on the grass next to him, crossing my legs as his were. I looked over at him and immediately wished I had never come to see him. I gasped and stumbled over the sight, though Sesshomaru was calm, staring at his blood-covered hand. Red stained his lips as well, making his skin look sickly white in contrast. His eyes moved from his hand to my face, but his head remained still. Staring at me now, he wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, then smeared the mess onto a cloth in his lap.

He composed himself and sat up straight. It seemed for a moment that he would pretend nothing had happened just then, but after a moment he spoke.

"You have questions, Inuyasha. Ask them."

I wasn't sure that I should speak after what I had just witnessed. There were a thousand and one thoughts in my head. Why was this happening to him? How? Demons to not get sick, or cough, or become tired. Demon lords do not have such moments of weakness. Sesshomaru cannot be anything but perfect unless I say otherwise. After a short time, I found my voice.

"You… you haven't been yourself. Why? What's wrong?" Once I started, I couldn't stop the flow of questions, and my voice became louder with each one, "Why is Rin living with half demons? Where did Chiyoko come from? Where are they? Why are you bleeding like that?" In my despair and confusion, I got closer to him, I was almost touching him. I almost did, but remembered I was not allowed. My voice became soft again as I asked my last question. "Why are you so… weak?"

For a long time, we said nothing. The only sounds were birds singing and the wheeze of Sesshomaru's breathing. He looked at me like he has never looked at me before, and I imagine, no one else. His face was stoic, but different. He looked tired. _Old_. There was still a smudge of blood on his chin. And his eyes… they were sad, pleading, distressed. I looked into those tired eyes as they searched mine for something I could not fathom. The situation was surreal. I had never seen him so weak. So human. In that moment, it seemed like he was my equal, perhaps less than that even. I gave myself permission to touch him.

I laid my hand ever so gently on the shoulder that had no limb. He put his hand on mine. His large, hot, perfect hand. He was touching me for the first time. Gently. He continued to look into my eyes. We were equals then as we never had been before.

Softly, he began to speak. But I didn't want to hear what he was saying. "Inuyasha… for a long time, you were nothing to me. You were not my brother. You were less than human. You were less than _dirt_. I have changed. And I wish I could have changed sooner." I looked at the ground. Anything but his face. "I will not lie to you, Inuyasha. Though, right now, I want to lie. I want to tell you that you are here now because you are my brother and I have brought you with me to ask for your forgiveness. I am dying, Inuyasha." I squeezed my eyes shut. My head hung low, my hand still on his shoulder.

"Why?" I asked weakly. "Why now? How?"

"I have been cursed by someone more powerful than I. It is slow, and unpleasant, but it is only spring, and I will last until the next frost, I believe. I decided, after much thought, that I want to spend that time doing what I can for the future of our kind. That includes you. And Chiyoko. There are others, and I will take you to them before my time a-"

I shook my head vehemently, over and over, not wanting to think about the words he was saying, and what they meant. I could not lose him. I was not ready to hear this, just when he accepted me. Just as I became his brother. _Really_ his brother. It was unfair of him to tell me this now. I didn't want to know.

I pulled my hand from his shoulder but he caught it and held on. "I will not speak of it now, Inuyasha, for your sake, but mark this. It is a reality you will have to face sooner than later, and I am sorry. Believe me, brother, I am sorry…"


End file.
